


With Certainty

by budgewrites



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-17
Updated: 2015-01-17
Packaged: 2018-03-07 22:11:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3185054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/budgewrites/pseuds/budgewrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After all these years, Asami finally finds it in herself to ask a thrilling and terrifying question.</p>
            </blockquote>





	With Certainty

Three more steps. Two, one, and Korra and Asami were through the thick evergreen forest and looking over the expanse of the southern continent. Pristine snowcovered hills rolled into jagged mountaintops and sheets of ice that glittered under the midwinter moon. The Water Tribe's stars outnumbered Republic City's ten thousand to one, and Asami could lose herself in them if not for Korra's hand clinging to her, grounding her.

Korra.

Her rock, her constant. Right now she was a light teasing the corner of her eye, and Asami couldn't help but turn to watch in silence as Korra took in the view stretched before them. She was thinking about something, Asami could tell. Something more than flighty appreciation for the frozen landscape and the sea of stars, though Asami couldn't begin to guess what it was with her own mind whirring nervously. Moments with Korra were always punctuated by a sense of complacency. To be held by her was to be home. To kiss her was to taste a glimpse of peace. To stand with her was to forget the sting of loneliness. But right now, there was something more, neither better nor worse, putting Asami's mind in a buzz. She was about to put that all on the line, ask the question that could seal their mark on _forever_ or break the brittle heart Asami had spent years piecing back together. It was a leap of faith she had put off for months out of her own (self-centered?) fear that the answer could be _no,_ or _I'm not sure._

But her knee was falling to the snow and she was reaching into her coat pocket before she consciously told her body to move. She was doing this. Right now.

Korra turned when she felt Asami move, and her eyes widened when she caught the first glimpse of the object her girlfriend had pulled from her pocket. Asami let go of Korra's hand only to present it properly, like an offering. It was an engagement necklace, its band the traditional blue and embroidered with silver thread in a pattern that matched the charm at the center. The pattern of Raava was delicately carved into the silver charm and inlaid with sapphire. Maybe it wasn't such an important tradition in the South, but Asami had wanted to _make_ something just for Korra, just for them. It wasn't out of necessity. It was because she wanted to, because she wanted everything that came _with_ it. To spend the rest of her life with this woman, to share in her triumphs and losses, ups and downs, joys and sorrows. Never had there been another person in all of Asami's life who felt so _right_ when at her side. They were in sync, each knew what the other needed purely on instinct, yet not a day went by that Korra didn't surprise her with her pure compassion and love of life. Every snicker, every pout, every crooked smile had Asami falling in love all over again.

And the next few moments were some of the longest of her life. There was her heart racing in her ears, the simultaneous sensation of weightlessness and uncomfortable twisting in her gut. Korra stood before her in seeming shock, and the longer it dragged, the more desperate Asami's swimming thoughts became. Her eyes pleaded for some insight into Korra's mind, for a smile, for a _yes._ Please, oh _please_ let this have been the right choice. It was several strained seconds (minutes? hours?) before Asami's heart began to sink. Korra was still standing there, silent as a catdeer as she stared at the necklace in Asami's hands. In the rush of the moment, tears welled in Asami's eyes. Her heart beat _harder,_ if that was even possible, and she looked away, down into the snow, unable to keep her eyes on Korra's shocked expression any longer. Her lip caught between her teeth, and the sudden tears threatened to spill over. She'd been wrong. Maybe it was the necklace. Maybe it wasn't the right time. Maybe it would never _be_ the right time. Maybe-

She was pulled from her rapidly firing thoughts by the gentle touch of fingers under her chin. Asami's eyes moved of their own volition, meeting Korra's and widening upon seeing an equally nervous, watery smile on the Avatar's face. She was frozen in place as Korra reached into her coat and crouched down to her level. Korra was holding a ring, delicately shaped rubies carved into a thin band of gold.

Relief washed over Asami's face and through her entire body. Of course. Of course Korra had brought them here to propose. It was fitting, wasn't it? They complemented each other to the very end, and in the thrill of this moment, Asami felt like an idiot for ever thinking otherwise. Tears slid down her reddened cheeks and they _laughed_. Laughed that they had had the same idea, that they had _both_ been foolish enough to be nervous about it in the first place. Words would have been frivolous, right now. They didn't need them. All that needed to be said passed between the warmth in their eyes and their shared giddiness as they beamed at one another. _Yes._

Korra. On the short list of things Asami Sato could put her absolute faith in over the past few years, she was at the top. And she was never leaving.

**Author's Note:**

> This slipped into my mind after seeing [denimcatfish's stunning #korrasamiweddingday comic.](http://denimcatfish.tumblr.com/post/107877273364/) I wanted to incorperate the flashbacks mingling with their wedding scene, but I couldn't get the passage of time to blend as well here as it did the comic, so I think that will be a separate project for another day! This is my first fic in quite a while, so I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Re: the betrothal necklace: I know there's some disagreement in the fandom over whether or not Korrasami should use the betrothal necklace, but I hope I adequately touched on my interpretation of its cultural significance in the context of the modern Southern Tribe in the fic. While all three canon instances of the necklace in its traditional purpose are chaining and forceful (Gran Gran, Yue, and later Bolin), traditions change, especially when they move between times and cultures. Using Eska as a barometer for the betrothal necklace's modern use is shaky at best, considering that her "relationship" with Bolin was bizarre and possessive from both an in-canon perspective and a viewer's perspective, to put it... as nicely as possible. Meanwhile, we see Kya, who is _from_ the Southern Water Tribe, wearing a similar necklace. There is no indication of her marital status, though I think it's pretty safe to assume that she's single. I interpret the necklace tradition's presence in the South to be something more lenient and casual, building from the idea that the tradition is not _native_ to the South, nor is it steeped in history for the South. The Southern Tribe in general has always been looser with its traditional values- see: the Spirit Festival and Unalaq's general outrage at the Southern Tribe's general "lack" of reverence for tradition.
> 
> With all of this in mind, I see the necklace as becoming a symbol that is defined from couple to couple. It's not _necessary,_ but if one or both members of a couple wishes to make one, there is nothing wrong with that. For some, maybe it's an anniversary gift. For others, maybe it's something to be presented on the big day as a nod to their heritage. For Asami, it's an acknowledgement of Korra's culture and a chance to devote her skills to something that specifically symbolizes how much she loves Korra.


End file.
